


Adventures in Dating

by Digiranger



Category: Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Dating, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Rating Change, gay relationship, smut chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-04-28 03:15:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5075680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Digiranger/pseuds/Digiranger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Riley's always so serious. Chase always plays it cool. Riley thinks he's got Chase all figured out. When the two decide to take a chance and build a relationship, they learn more about each other and that they can be gay, a couple and Power Rangers all at once. Rating change because of the smut. Chiley, implied Telby.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How it all Began

Dating was such an unexpected surprise. Ever since the team defeated Cavity, Riley began to see Chase in a new light. At first the boy thought his feelings for the older teen were just the results of team bonding and camaraderie, but Riley began to notice that these feelings didn’t extend as far to the rest of the team. Yes, he cared about everyone and wanted to keep everyone safe, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Chase.

When they first met, Riley had to admit he didn’t like Chase. Chase was always so relaxed and carefree, almost like he wasn’t trying or caring about training or being a Ranger, and that he didn’t understand the immense responsibility put on their shoulders. Riley knew better now, but he remembered the fights and Miss Morgan’s words about how two people could find different solutions to the same problem, and he realized now that Chase simply trained and kept himself in fighting form in a different way.

The only thing Chase did seem interested in was in flirting with girls, even Shelby when he was feeling especially cheeky. Lately, every time Riley saw Chase flirting with girls, it made him angry.

It was afternoon at Dino Bites and Shelby, Riley and Chase were working. Chase was serving while Riley worked the cash register and Shelby was on the grill, which was a change of pace for her. While waiting for the next set of burgers to finish cooking, Shelby was watching Riley’s face darken as Chase hit on yet another table of cute girls.

“You’re doing it again Riley” she called out to him. “Just staring at him isn’t going to change anything.”

Riley turned to look back at her, a frustrated expression on his face. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Riley replied darkly.

“Riley, you’re staring at Chase. You might be able to convince Tyler and Koda that there’s nothing going in that mind of yours, but I can see that things have definitely changed since that last battle. And I don’t just mean you admitting you were too hard on him, the way you look at him has changed.”

“You mean the way you look at Tyler?” Riley retorted, being more than a little defensive.

Shelby blushed and was caught off guard, rendered silent by how quickly Riley cut to the matter of her own growing feelings for the Red Ranger. When she replied, Shelby was much less bubbly in her response.

“Yeah. Something like that Riley. He’s not going to hate you, not after everything that’s been happening lately.”

Riley wasn’t having any of it and let his shock at what Shelby said flow through his response.

“You have no way of knowing that Shelby. Besides, he obviously likes girls. Even if it didn’t make things awkward on the team, he wouldn’t be into me unless you threw me in a skirt and changed up some of my anatomy.”

Shelby’s response was even more quiet this time.

“Yes, I do know. And the better question you should be asking yourself is why none of them ever last.”

Shelby went back to working on the grill, leaving Riley alone at the cash register with his thoughts, his eyes always discreetly following a certain New Zealander dressed in black.

After their shift at the Dino Bite, Chase, Riley and Shelby went down to the base to change and relax before heading home for the evening. Chase didn’t normally leave right away, instead preferring to take some time to fix his skateboard on the work table before heading home to study. After getting changed, Chase went right to his board and tools, put his headphones on and started working away. Riley went to sit on the couch over by the tennis ball machine he’d installed in the base to train with, considering whether it was worth getting some training in right now, and Shelby headed right for the exit. As she was leaving, the boys could hear Shelby loudly shouting a farewell to them.

“Alright boys, I’m outta here! Enjoy the rest of your night!” Making sure both boys were able to hear her.

Riley was looking at her like she was crazy for screaming in the lab, half expecting Miss Morgan to scold Shelby for making so much noise in the base. Instead, Selby mouthed the words “talk to him” before leaving.

It was just Chase and Riley left in the base. Chase was happily working away at his skateboard while Riley was lost in thought, trying to figure out what to do. He knew that this was something that he would have to talk to Chase about sooner or later, since it was going to start compromising his ability to function as a Power Ranger and with the rest of the team if he wasn’t able to fully communicate with the Black Ranger he found himself studying. Finally, he decided to talk to Chase because he had a strange feeling that Shelby would if he didn’t.

Riley got up from the couch and walked over to the table Chase was working at and shyly tapped Chase on the shoulder to get his attention. Chase looked up from his skateboard and took off his headphones.

“Oh, hey Riley, how’s it going? That was a pretty rough shift, wasn’t it mate?

“Yeah, that lunch rush was pretty intense.” Riley began to blush. “I wanted to ask you something… how do you know you like someone?”

Chase smirked at Riley, not really thinking Riley was serious about the question and what its implications could be. 

“Think you’re getting sweet on someone? Who’s the lucky person I wonder. They probably already know.”

Riley blanched. Chase couldn’t possibly already know, but this teasing and the way Chase said that had Riley worried, and he knew he was probably giving himself away by the way his body was reacting. Riley tried to school his facial features into a serious expression.

“Chase, I’m serious. You know I haven’t had much time to date or anything like that since I lived on the ranch.”

Chase looked at him thoughtfully, as though he was trying to study Riley’s face the way Riley had been studying Chase these past few days.

“Hmmm, okay. When you like someone you start to think about them more, and in different ways than you did before. Things they do make you feel more strongly than they did before. You do things about them that you don’t do about other people.”

Riley’s breath hitched in his throat as Chase was speaking. He thought about how frustrated and aggravated he was every time he saw Chase flirting with girls while working, and how he was thinking about Chase a lot more than he was before. Riley knew he was doing everything that Chase was saying, and he was scared for what it really meant for himself.

Chase waited for Riley to say something, though he noticed that the blush that started at Riley’s cheeks was beginning to radiate outward and that the smaller boy seemed to be deeply lost in thought about something. Chase wasn’t too sure what brought this on, it wasn’t like there was much time for Riley or anyone else to go looking for people, and he was the one that was always trying to get numbers from the ladies while working at the Dino Bite.

Riley didn’t know what to do, he hadn’t been in a dating situation before so there wasn’t anything for him to analyze and figure out. There were so many different variables about what could happen, and even though Riley prided himself on his smarts, there was still only so much he could do to try and predict the future, and more importantly predict how the boy he was sitting with would react if he did something. Still, he knew that Shelby was going to force the issue, so he did the only thing he could think of that made any sense to him.

“Chase I think I like you” Riley said really quickly and then flushed a bright red.

Chase looked at him quizzically, not quite sure he’d heard what Riley had said, it was mostly just a jumble of sounds that he hadn’t been able to make out.

“Ummm, say again mate? I didn’t quite catch that.”

Riley took a deep breath and tried to calm his breathing and heart, which was now beating rapidly.

“I think… I think I like you Chase.”

In the dead silence that immediately accompanied this statement, Riley started to turn and run away thinking that he’d ruined his new friendship with Chase and made it impossible to work together as Rangers when Chase grabbed him by the wrist and held him from leaving. 

Chase pulled the younger boy closer and embraced him, pulling him closer until he could feel Riley’s dirty blond hair pressing against his chest.

“Shhh, its okay Baby Raptor. Relax, the hard part’s over now.” Chase soothed, trying to calm the shaking younger teen wrapped in his arms.

When Chase felt that Riley had stopped shaking, he sat them both down on the couch and looked Riley in the eyes, hoping that whatever he said next was going to calm him down.

“Riley, mate. I appreciate you telling me this…” Riley’s heart sunk when he heard those words, he knew that meant that Chase didn’t feel the same way.

“…I wish you’d told me sooner.”

Riley was stunned. He couldn’t accept or believe that Chase might actually be reciprocating his feelings and be interested in doing anything with him.

“But you’re always flirting. I thought you were straight.”

Chase gave a lopsided smile at this, like it was a not very funny joke.

“I don’t like the whole idea of putting labels on things, but I guess you could say I’m bisexual. As for the flirting, I never thought of it as serious, that’s why nothing ever developed.”

“Are we going to be serious? I don’t want to be one of those girls who you spend less than a week with.”

Chase looked at Riley and clasped onto the younger boys hands.

“I’ve never really done the serious dating thing either mate, I’ve heard it can be a bit crazy. But yeah, I’ll try going on some adventures in dating with you.”

Riley smiled. They both decided to head home now that the tension between them was gone. Both boys couldn’t focus on anything except what they’d surprisingly found at the end of a long, monster-free shift at the Dino Bite. For the first time since defeating Cavity, both boys slept well.


	2. Dinner Disasters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After deciding to become a couple, Chase and Riley decided on a quiet dinner date to really learn about each other.

Both boys were surprised to find that there was mutual interest in each other. Riley always assumed that Chase's flirtations with girls were completely real and not just a fabrication, and Chase assumed the sometimes cold and distant persona that Riley projected was his own way of showing he wasn't interested. It was Chase who first proposed the idea of a night out for dinner, both boys saw it as a chance to learn more about each other without there being too much stress involved.

Chase looked across the table at Riley, wondering what he was thinking while they both read through the Olive Garden menu. Chase was relaxed, used to the intricate play between two people on a first date. He knew what was going on in Riley's mind, and for once he wasn't planning on trying to use it to charm his way into a lucky evening for himself, he was serious when he said he wanted to try something new, something more stable than his last few months of 'dating'.

Chase figured that Riley was trying to analyze the situation still, figure out how to proceed in a logical way and that he was going to be a bit too stressed out to really enjoy the evening if Chase didn't do anything to help loosen him up. It was endearing at times, and there was no doubt that Riley's steady mind had saved his and the others' lives more than once, but this wasn't something you could apply a formula to, it was just something you felt and went with the flow with.

The server came and took their orders, looking a bit strangely at the pair of them.

"Hi, I'm Taylor, I'll be your server today. So, what can I get you two?"

Riley answered first.

"I'll have the garlic rosemary chicken."

"And I'll have the sausage stuffed giant rigatoni" Chase interjected immediately after.

The waiter wrote down their orders, and then took one last look at the two of them before he left to put their orders into the system.

"Nice to be the one giving an order for once eh mate?" Chase said, easily slipping back into his comfort zone of taking the initiative with the person he's with. Chase was openly smiling and relaxing, trying to project an aura of calmness towards Riley, who looked much less at ease with their whole situation.

"Did you see the way that waiter was looking at us, he obviously knows we're on a date and was judging us for being different." Riley fumed and crossed his arms, clearly upset with what he perceived as an insult.

"Relax little raptor, I'm sure it wasn't anything. Just focus on me and the food when it comes, this is supposed to be our chance to get to know each other better, remember?"

Chase reached over the table and grabbed hold of Riley's hands, squeezing them before he put his hands back in his lap. The brief contact made Riley blush and smile shyly back at Chase, who was openly grinning that he was able to do something to help the younger boy feel something other than stress about this new situation they were in.

"What was life like back on the ranch anyway? I grew up in the city so it's nothing I've really thought about before, but I guess things would be pretty different when you're out with just your family close by." Chase asked.

Riley cocked his head and looked thoughtfully back at Chase. He hadn't known much about the Kiwi to be honest, only that he was from New Zealand and that he was here in Amber Beach to study Archaeology. He hadn't really thought about how different their lives would have been before they were Rangers because of course now they did almost identical lifestyles of school, work and Rangering.

"I guess you could say that it was quiet. I mean, there were always chores and its not like the animals ever got quiet, but when the only other humans around were just your family and everyone else lives far enough away to make seeing them difficult, you just figured it was normal. When I moved here after finding my Energem, I was surprised at how much louder things were in the city, or at least louder in terms of human voices and human created sounds."

Chase nodded, eager to hear more about what Riley's life had been like, but the younger boy was staring out into the distance, seeming to be lost in thought. After a few moments, Riley shook his head, shuffling around some of the dirty blond locks of hair and he continued on.

"I miss it a bit. Not the work or the chores or anything like that, but just that it was peaceful there too. I miss my brother Matt and my Mom and Rubik, which is funny because without Rubik I wouldn't have ever become a Ranger."

Riley gave a little bit of a chuckle about that. Chase knew most of the story about how everyone found their Energems and became Rangers, but he was surprised to see how easy it was for Riley to talk about home; Chase thought the younger boy might have been a little homesick from the way he was always phoning home and asking to put Rubik on. That, or Riley was unhealthily obsessed with talking to his dog, which could be cute in its own way.

"What about you Hotshot? You getting used to America yet? It can't be too much different from back home for you." Riley teased, clearly just as curious about Chase's roots as Chase was about his.

Chase laughed "Nah mate, it's not too different, but there's always something to learn and figure out that's not quite the same. Kendall was pretty good at helping settle me down in Amber Beach once she realized I had the Black Energem, and I've had plenty of tutoring about American style customs that I might not have otherwise known about." Chase said that last part with an exaggerated waggling of his eyebrows which caused Riley to spit out his drink laughing.

At that moment, the server came back to deliver the food.

"Alright, so I've got the eggplant parm for you" handing over a plate to Chase. "And the steak toscano for you" placing the other plate in front of Riley, who immediately looked at it like it was still alive.

"Excuse me mate, these weren't what we ordered. Any chance you could take these back and make sure there wasn't a mix-up?" Chase asked, clearly as confused about the food as Riley was.

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me get those out of the way for you" their server said, not sounding particularly sorry or even confused about what happened.

Both plates were cleared away and both Riley and Chase looked at each other, exasperated by that first experience. Both boys were beginning to get hungry and had no idea how long it would take to get their orders again.

"So baby raptor, what should we talk about while dinner gets cooked again?" Chase asked.

"How about how you actually got the nickname hotshot. I can't think that people back home know that you're such a good shot, and you did shoot Fury instead of the E-Tracer."

"Hey there" Chase protested. "I did pretty well there thanks, at least Sledge doesn't have it. I actually got the name from all my skateboarding, I used to show off at the trick parks back home and people just started calling me hotshot because of how awesome I am."

Riley couldn't tell if he was serious or not, but was spared more questions when the server came back with more food.

"Alright, here we are. One garlic rosemary chicken and one sausage stuffed giant rigatoni. Enjoy." Before either boy could respond, Taylor was gone again, off to some other helpless table.

After the meal, Chase and Riley were stuffed full and feeling sleepy from having eaten so much. When Taylor arrived with the cheque, both boys reached into their wallets to pay for the meal.

"Hold on mate, I brought up the idea of going out for dinner, I'm paying for it." Chase said, already pulling money out of his wallet.

"We wouldn't even be doing this if I hadn't said anything to you the other day." Riley replied. "I'm definitely paying for it."

Taylor just stood there, watching Chase and Riley both grab at the bill and try to put down their money. Finally, the poor server had enough.

"I'm splitting the bill, you can both pay for your own or each other's, but you're going nowhere and at least this way you can both say you paid."

A few minutes later, the server came back with two bills for the boys to pay. As they were leaving, the two Rangers were still arguing about who should have paid for dinner.

"Riley, I brought you out here and I'm the older one. I'm paying next time."

Riley stood in front of Chase and menacingly poked him in the chest with his finger.

"Chase, I was the one who told you I liked you, so we only started going on dates because of me. I'm paying. And who said there's going to be a next time?"

Chase smirked at Riley. "Oh, there'll be a next time, you can't resist me."

Without waiting to see Riley's reaction, Chase started running away, back towards where both their apartments were. Riley's annoyed shouts were right behind him the rest of the way home.


	3. A day at the Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day off gives everyone a chance to relax, and where else would they go in the summer but the beach!

All of the Rangers had the day off from the Dino Bite, and since the weather was its usual California gorgeous they decided to make use of it and head to the beach. With work and Rangering, most of the Rangers from out of town hadn't had much of chance to enjoy the beaches of Amber Beach, and the boys were looking forward to some time to relax.

When the team arrived everyone spread out to set up their own little spaces within the area they were all going to share. As expected, Tyler and Shelby set up a couple of towels that were separate from the rest of the group. Chase and Riley found they were doing the same thing, eager to have a bit of space away from the other couple, along with Koda and Ivan. The two temporally displaced rangers set down towels and the cooler between the two couples.

Everyone quickly got settled in to what they were doing at the beach, which for the most part was relaxing and catching some sun after another long week of fighting monsters and the lunch rush. Everyone was feeling sore in some way, so the chance to just lay back and relax was too good for any of the Rangers to pass up.

After a short while Chase noticed a couple of guys running by with surfboards. He followed back to where they had come from and saw there was a small building renting out surfboards and other beach gear to people, and an idea popped into his head. Chase nudged Riley on the shoulder, who was dozing off in the sun.

"Riley, look over there" pointing in the direction of the surfboard hut.

"Hmm? What's going on?" Riley asked, half confused by what was going on and what Chase was pointing at.

Chase pointed more emphatically at the hut. "Look, just over there, it's a place where it looks like we can rent surfboards and head out on the waves. Let's go get some!"

Riley looked at the hut and then back at Chase, shaking his head in disbelief. "Chase, I don't know how to surf, and I'm pretty sure you don't either. They don't look like they're giving out lessons either, so how do you expect this to work?"

Chase grinned down at his lover. "How hard can it be love? I skateboard everywhere, how different can it be? Besides, you're smart, you'll pick it up quick enough I bet. Come on, let's go!"

Chase got to his feet and offered his hand out to Riley, who sighed loudly and looked at the rest of the Rangers for help. No one was paying any attention to them, since Tyler was carrying Shelby into the waves while Ivan and Koda were both eyeing the cooler hungrily. Realizing no one was going to save him, Riley offered his hand to Chase and let himself get pulled to his feet.

The boys walked over to the hut and were given surfboards that they could use for the afternoon. Although neither of them had ever tried to surf before, now that they had the boards in their hands and were watching other people having fun on the waves, they were eager to try it. Besides, they both thought that with their reflexes enhanced by their Ranger powers they could do anything.

After watching a few of the other surfers for a few minutes, the boys felt like they had a good idea of what they were supposed to do. By now the other Rangers were crowding over to see what was going on and to see if Chase and Riley were going to be any good.

"That's so cool! We should try it, wanna go get a pair Shelb?" Tyler asked, full of excitement over some of the team trying to surf.

"Haha, no. Good try Tyler, but there's no way I'm going out into the ocean with you again. I'm still trying to dry off from when you threw me in a few minutes ago." Shelby replied, trying to sound annoyed but mostly failing to keep the humour out of her voice.

Chase looked confident while Riley looked more apprehensive about their upcoming activities. Both of them realized the rest of the team was going to be watching and neither wanted to screw up now that they had a captive audience. They both decided not to go too far out into the water just in case they weren't able to control their boards this first time they went out.

After giving each other one last hand squeeze, Riley and Chase separated so they would have enough room to catch a wave and start surfing without having to worry about crashing into each other. Riley let himself slide out further into the ocean, waiting for a lull in the waves crashing over him to push himself to his feet on his board. By the time he was standing up he saw Chase was already on his feet, gently turning back and forth in the water and looking like he was having the time of his life.

Riley was keeping his feet under himself, but he was struggling to keep from falling. As he got used to the way the waves would move him and the board, he started to get more in control and relaxed enough to start enjoying himself. He could hear the cheers and screams of his teammates on the beach watching him and Chase surfing, and he felt comfortable knowing that everything was going well for his first time trying to surf. Riley thought about how different it was from walking or even from skateboarding after Chase begged him to give that a try.

Chase was in his element now, this really wasn't so different from skateboarding and he felt comfortable enough to start getting cocky about his abilities. Once he and Riley made it back to the shore, he started running back out and heard Riley following behind him. The boys got themselves back on the boards after going further out, and Chase was intent on trying to catch a wave and do some tricks like he saw the locals doing earlier.

Chase started to focus in on the wave and blocked out almost everything else around him, trying to get on top of the wave and show that he was just as good as the long-time surfers all around him and Riley. Chase was picking up speed, and when he hit the wave he didn't think about how the change in speed and direction would have him move when the wave did hit him. The wave was stronger than he expected, and instead of riding the wave he ended up flying off the board.

Arms and legs flailing, Chase landed hard on someone and both he and whoever he hit fell into the ocean. They weren't too deep, so the person Chase was on top of hit the sand under the waves and quickly popped their head over the water again.

It was Riley, who was now soaking wet and coughing up salt water after being flattened by Chase. Chase was still pinning Riley down into the sand, even after he made sure Riley could keep his head above the waves. Riley looked furious, and Chase just grinned.

"Sorry mate, guess I didn't see ya there!"

Riley opened his mouth, ready to rant at Chase for crashing into him when suddenly Chase lowered his lips onto Riley and kissed him in the surf for everyone to see. Riley blushed, Chase smiled sheepishly and the team catcalled once they realized the two boys were okay.

"I really am sorry love, I didn't mean to crash into you."

Riley pulled Chase back down and whispered back at him. "I guess you're not always such a hotshot are you?"

Chase looked down at Riley and winked "Maybe not, but you're always going to be my Baby Raptor."

Chase leaned down to kiss Riley again, and both went to retrieve their surfboards. The boys walked back to the rest of the Rangers, and everyone went back to where their towels were to dry off and have some lunch.

Later that afternoon, long after the end of the sandwiches and the drinks when it was time to go, and long after a few more runs into the ocean for the boys, Chase looked over at his completely exhausted boyfriend.

"Was it worth it Riley?" Chase asked, more than a little tired himself.

Riley tried to stifle a yawn and winced at the sore muscles he was developing. He gazed over at the older boy and smiled. "Yes, totally worth it."


	4. Moving in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley moves into Chase's apartment. Where are they going to put Riley's bed?!

Everyone could see it happening. The lingering glances, the touches that lasted just a moment or two too long, and of course the sounds of the two boys making out in the base whenever they thought they were alone. Within days of their beach trip, it was clear that Chase and Riley were just as real a couple as Shelby and Tyler, except that the two boys seemed completely unable to restrain themselves.

No one was all that surprised when Riley decided to move in with Chase. First, Chase had a nicer apartment than Miss Morgan was willing to give Riley as a museum intern, and Riley spent most of his free time there anyway. There was room for most of his stuff, the only thing left was to move all of the furniture and things over into Chase’s apartment.

All of the Rangers offered to help, with most of them waiting at Chase’s place while Tyler and Riley moved everything over in Tyler’s truck. Most of Riley’s stuff was easy to take, and the heavy furniture was part of the apartment so it wasn’t coming with them. The only exception to that was the bed at Miss Morgan’s insistence; Kendall thought that the two would never actually sleep if they stayed in the same bed, and she needed both of them rested for working in the café and fighting Sledge’s horde of monsters.

Tyler and Riley looked at the bed in dismay. It was a twin size bed, but neither boy was sure how to get it through the doorway and down the stairs to Tyler’s car. Tyler was at the foot of the bed, glancing down at it.

“Kendall’s insane. There’s no way we’re going to be getting this bed through the door frame without breaking something. Why does she want you to bring the bed anyway? I thought she was crazy serious about not taking any of the furniture.” Tyler sighed, thinking it’d be much easier just to get a new one or to not bring the bed at all.

Riley replied with a smirk. “Well, the alternative is that I share a bed with Chase for the entire time I’m staying with him.”

Tyler’s eyes got wide and he started to cough when he realized what Riley was hinting at. 

“Oh god, I’m not going to get that image out of my head any time soon. We already see enough of that at the base!” Tyler groaned. “Okay, we need to figure out how to get the bed into Chase’s apartment. Think we should call the others for help?”

Riley giggled. “Nah, we can do it. Nice to see that changed your mind so quick. Maybe if we try and carry it on its side that’ll work? If we bang up the place we can always just remind Kendall this was her idea to break the museum rules to begin with.”

Tyler grinned back at the youngest member of the team. “Great idea! Let’s get ‘er goin!”

A few minutes later, the boys had everything loaded up and were on their way back to Chase’s apartment.

When Tyler and Riley returned, Chase ran out to hug Riley and spun him around, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Missed you beautiful. You didn’t have to get the bed you know, we could have shared the one I have in my room. Chase said, just loud enough that the Rangers and Miss Morgan could hear him.

“Chase, not a chance. I need all of you rested and I do not want to be hearing about any… adventures you two might be having. Separate beds, and if it were possible then separate rooms.” Miss Morgan exclaimed, while the rest of the team tried not to think of what would happen if there was only one bed in Chase’s apartment for the two of them.

“Right, sorry Miss Morgan. It was just a suggestion.” Chase replied, winking at their mentor. “Let’s get everything up; Riley, let’s go find a place for the bed on our own.”

Tyler, Koda, Shelby, Ivan and Kendall grabbed most of the smaller boxes and assorted pieces of Riley’s life and brought them into the house, leaving Chase outside with Riley and the bed. Just as the two boys were about to get the bed up to the top of the stairs, Riley lost his grip on his half of the bed. The bed frame hit Riley’s legs and knocked him partway down the stairs.

Riley cried out in pain and the rest of the team came to lift Riley out of the way. Tyler and Koda helped Chase with the bed while Tyler carried Riley to one of the chairs in Chase’s apartment. Kendall looked Riley over, and by the time she was done the boys had finished moving Riley’s bed into Chase’s bedroom.

“Doesn’t look like any breaks or serious injuries. Just in case, check in with me tomorrow and we’ll see if you need to get looked over any more. You should rest for the rest of the day.” Kendall explained to Riley while everyone else huddled around the younger dirty blond boy. “If that’s everything, we should go. Chase, keep an eye on him and remember to have him contact me tomorrow.”

“How are you feeling Ri? You took quite a fall there, is everything okay?” Chase inquired worryingly.

“I think I just want to lie down. Miss Morgan gave me some medicine and it’s making me feel sleepy. Should probably go lie down, but I’m worried about putting weight on my legs right now.”

“No worries, I got you covered mate.”

Chase bent down to pick Riley up in his arms, carrying him away like a wedding night bride. Both boys realized what was happening and giggled.

“I thought this only happened on wedding nights” Riley cooed. “I don’t remember having a ceremony, and these definitely aren’t wedding clothes.”

“I was planning on telling you, but then you went and fell so you missed the surprise announcement” Chase replied. “Surprise.”

Both boys laughed and Chase carefully laid Riley down on their new double sized bed. The sheets were a mix of black and green, with the colours overlapping and interconnecting where the sheets had been hastily thrown on. Chase laid down next to Riley, lightly tracing his fingers along the side of Riley’s chest and body.

Chase whispered consolingly to Riley. “You’re beautiful. I’m so sorry your first time sleeping here is going to be a painful one for you.”

Riley gave an amused sniffle at what Chase said. “You’re so cheesy. I’m sure I’ll be fine. Right now I just want to rest.”

Chase was about to say something when Riley put his finger on Chase’s lips. “Shhh, no more talking. Just lay here with me.”

Riley gingerly moved his body so he was pressed against Chase, and Chase responded by wrapping his right arm over the smaller boy. Both boys smiled at the contact and dozed off, content in how they were situated.


	5. Explaining things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Koda has questions. Chase and Riley have answers... sort of.
> 
> Or, a look at modern society's views on queer relationships.

It became their tradition. Once Riley was done training with the tennis ball machine and Chase was done tinkering with his skateboard, the two would lay on the couch in the base with each other and just hold hands and enjoy the comfort each could get from the other.

Today the two were on the couch with Chase leaning back and Riley resting his head on Chase’s lap. The two were holding hands and resting their hands on Riley’s chest, feeling his chest rise and fall with his steady breathing. Chase reached down to wipe the sweat from Riley’s forehead when they heard someone cough at the other side of the room.

Chase turned around and Riley got up to see who was there, and both weren’t too surprised to see Koda looking back at them. Koda technically lived in the base, so they were sort of intruding in his private space, but he looked confused more than annoyed.

“Why… hold hands?” Koda asked. His English was always improving, but he still needed time to think about what words he was going to use.

Riley gestured at their hands with his free hand and tried to explain. “Holding hands is a way for us to show our feelings for each other. It’s a small thing, but feeling each other’s warmth helps us realize that what we feel is real and matters.”

“It’s just a way of showing that we care about each other and want to be around each other, sort of like how we high five the other Rangers.” Chase continued, hoping the explanation was helping make sense of it all.

Koda continued looking at the two boys on the couch. “You hold hands with each other, why not the others?”

Chase and Riley looked at each other and then back at Koda. Chase answered first.

“It’s mostly something you do with the person you love. Not that we don’t love everyone on the team because of course we do, but it’s different between Riley and I.”

“It’s like how you see Shelby and Tyler act differently towards each other than they do with us. They touch each other in different ways to express their feelings for each other. For them, it’s more about romantic love, just like it is with me and Chase. We care about you and the rest of the team in a different way, which doesn’t make it worse or better, just different.”

Koda nodded, thinking that he understood. He started to walk towards his cave, but then turned around and looked back at the two boys.

“Why does Tyler and Shelby hold hands in public, but not Chase and Riley?”

Riley looked sad at this, and Chase brushed some of the hair away from his face before responding.

“Well mate, Tyler and Shelby do that because they’re comfortable showing others how they feel about each other. Riley and I… Riley’s not as comfortable doing that.”

“When I grew up on the ranch, there weren’t a lot of other people around, and the ones that did weren’t always the most tolerant. I got used to the idea that if I showed how I felt about another boy that it wouldn’t be accepted, which is still true to some degree.”

Chase replied again. “We don’t show any of our feelings in public because there’s still a lot of people in the world who think two boys or two girls falling in love is a bad thing. Riley doesn’t feel safe doing that, and I don’t want to pressure him into doing something that makes him worried for our safety. We have enough things trying to kill us with Sledge’s monsters.”

Koda sat on the floor next to the couch and had more questions. “Why different? Shelby and Tyler feel the same as Chase and Riley, don’t they?”

“We do, but some people’s beliefs tell them that it’s wrong, and people can be very passionate about what they believe in.” Riley replied.

Riley sat up straighter on the couch and Chase watched him intently, checking to make sure he was okay. Once they were both settled again, they looked back at Koda who seemed to be lost in thought. 

Chase looked back to Koda and started talking again. “At the end of the day, we don’t have to do any of that stuff in public. It’d be nice to do so and not have to worry, but we just prefer not being obvious in public… it makes the moments we have like these so much more special for us because they’re when we can show how we feel without worrying about who’s going to see us and comment about it.”

Koda nodded. “If Chase and Riley are happy, then I am happy.” He smiled at both boys and then walked back to his cave to give them some privacy.

Once Koda was gone, the two remaining Rangers looked at each other and hugged tight. That had been a tough conversation for Riley, and Chase knew he needed something to remind him that they were okay and going to keep being okay. 

Chase laid down and pulled Riley on top of him, planting little kisses on the boy’s neck and face. Riley flushed a bit and buried his head into Chase’s shoulder, holding tight and nuzzling into the black sweater that concealed Chase’s muscled form.

“Thanks Hotshot. That was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I mean, we had to have known Koda would be asking sooner or later, and I’m still sorta wondering when Ivan’s going to come in with his thoughts about us, but that could have been worse. Still, thanks, that would have been a much harder conversation without you there.”

“You know it Baby Raptor. I wish we could be more public, but you know the area better than me and maybe one day it won’t be such an issue anymore. You know that people’s minds are being changed day by day.”

“Maybe…” Riley replied, unsure.

“Come on, let’s go back home, we can watch a movie and see what else happens with our evening. Koda’s got to want the place to himself again, and we could do with some private time as well.” Chase said with a wink.

Both boys got up and left the base, hand in hand. They knew that they’d have to separate once they left the base and museum, so they prolonged their contact as much as possible. When they got back home, they crawled into bed and cuddled until they both fell asleep in each other’s arms.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************

The next day when the two boys were on shift with Koda at Dino Bites, they exchanged knowing glances throughout the shift. Koda saw how they interacted and smiled to himself. Even though he knew they weren’t able to do and say the things they wanted to say in public, they seemed to have found a way to send the messages to each other with their smiles and the way they looked at each other. 

He wondered if anyone else could see how Chase and Riley looked at each other, and decided that there wasn’t anything wrong with it. They were his friends; that was what mattered to him. 

At the end of the shift Chase and Riley tracked Koda down and asked if he was okay from their conversation the previous day.

“You show you care without words. Koda is happy to see you can show your feelings without others knowing. Have a good day.”

Koda headed back to the base and both boys decided to enjoy their evening off, happy that they were able to explain things to their friend without making things confusing or awkward for anyone. Riley smiled, thinking that if they could teach Koda that what happened between two people wasn’t wrong, then maybe there was some hope for the rest of the world. Chase smiled seeing that Riley was more upbeat and happy than he had been after their last chat with Koda, and hoped that this would change his outlook about how gay people are treated and what would happen if they were to show each other affection in public.

As they enjoyed their pizza dinner, they both realized no one was paying any attention to them in the restaurant, even though it was pretty obvious they were together and not just as friends. They ate their meal in companionable silence and enjoyed this new feeling of liberation that they were both starting to feel, and returned home happier than both had been since they started dating.

As they were getting ready for bed, Riley turned over and looked Chase in the eyes. “Good night Chase, I love you.”

Chase hadn’t expected that. He knew how Riley felt and Chase felt the same way, but no one had ever said those words yet. Chase replied right away. “Love you too Riley. Have a good night.”

They both kissed each other, and rolled onto their sides to go to sleep, content with the world.


	6. Coming Home

Chase was laying on the couch in his and Riley’s shared apartment. He was glad that they had decided to move in together, since it allowed them to pool their money and get a bigger apartment, plus a few bonus pieces of furniture to help make the place feel more at home, like the very couch he was laying on. Of course, it was more of a loveseat than a couch, but that suited Chase just fine, it gave him a chance to be right up close and personal to Riley, who was finally starting to relax and learn to appreciate the little touches that he was so fond of giving the younger blond.

The more Chase thought about it, the more surprised he was. He’d been living with Riley for a few weeks now, and dating for a couple weeks longer than that. As far as Chase remembered, this was the longest he had spent in a relationship with anyone. It wasn’t that he was afraid of dating or getting into something serious… he didn’t think so anyways, he didn’t like to think of himself as afraid of anything. There just wasn’t anyone who really captured his attention.

Chase remembered how he first met Riley, how much they fought and could barely tolerate each other’s differences. Now they were almost inseparable, and it made him wonder if they would have been as close if they had met as college classmates instead of as Rangers. They relied on each other and had to trust each other with their lives. That builds bonds, whether you want it to or not. 

One thing that Chase would never have originally thought when first meeting Riley was how well the complimented each other, and how much each was changing for having been so close with the other. Chase was much more organized and even started arriving early to work, and Riley was learning how to relax and be less uptight about what goes on around him. Both still played to their strengths, but they were learning to adapt and become better-rounded people.

It made sense in a way that they were together, they were opposites that attracted to each other and balanced the other out. The fact that Riley was super hot helped too. Chase liked that he knew exactly what to say and do to get under Riley’s skin and provoke any kind of reaction he wanted out of the younger boy. This was something he could get used to and maybe it really was better to settle down than to play the field.

Chase smiled at the thought and got up to leave the apartment. It was almost time to meet Riley, and they had a special plan for the evening.

Riley was working his shift at the Dino Bite. It was late in the evening and the rush was gone, so it was quiet and gave Riley a chance to think about the last couple of months. He wasn’t too surprised that he and Chase became roommates, it sort of made sense since they both needed to save money on housing costs, and it was logical for them to room with each other instead of living on their own or with total strangers. That didn’t even take into consideration what would happen with their Rangering duties if they lived with roommates.

Dating Chase… that wasn’t something he planned for. If Riley was honest with himself, it wasn’t something he thought would ever happened. He had Chase pegged as a straight womanizer from the moment they met, and in hindsight that was an unfair generalization to make without giving Chase a chance to really show who he was under all the flirting and cheesy lines he fed the customers at the café. He was still getting used to the idea. Not just about dating Chase, but dating in general; he figured that was something that would happen later, like after they found all the Energems and saved the world.

Riley always figured that he would date someone like himself. A serious-minded thinker that he could match wits with, and engage in intellectual pursuits that they would both enjoy and learn from. It was the sort of thing that made sense to him, and anything that went wrong could be fixed just by putting their heads together and analyzing how to get back on track. With Chase there was a lot more tension because of how different they were, and that meant that Riley didn’t always know what to say or how to resolve what was bothering them.

Before, Riley was infuriated with Chase. He never seemed to put any effort into things, and the way he did go about fixing problems was more by feel than by any strategy. It defied logic sometimes how Chase managed to get things done, but then there was more to it than just simply doing things at random. Riley knew better now, and he was starting to learn that not everything needs to be analyzed, some things in life could only be felt.

They were good for each other, Riley decided. They didn’t always get along, and their different ways of doing things often meant that compromise was the order of the day, but he could see they were slowly becoming more alike than not. He wouldn’t let his routines get interrupted too much by Chase, but he was enjoying what it was like to just get up and do something different instead of waking up and going through the exact same set of activities as the previous day or week. And he could see that Chase was making an honest effort to keep his life clean and organized instead of letting chaos rule their shared apartment.

As his shift with the other Rangers ended, he didn’t stick around too long to talk and catch up. He would see them all tomorrow, but tonight was a special night and he had no intention of being late. He had an example to set, and he wouldn’t miss what was being planned with Chase for anything.

Chase was just setting down the blanket in Amber Beach Park when Riley found him. It was a good spot and was sure to have a perfect view of the evening’s festivities. Not only had Chase found a perfect spot, but he brought a picnic basket of sandwiches for the two to share while they waited.

Soon enough, it was dark out, and both boys were electric with anticipation. Chase was sitting back, leaning against a tree to keep him upright while Riley laid his head in Chase’s lap. Both boys looked up at the night sky.

Within a few moments, the night sky began to erupt with bursts of colour as the fireworks show began. Both boys knew that there were thousands of people in the park with them and that the other Rangers were somewhere in the park as well. Right now though, the boys only had themselves and the fireworks in their world. They held hands as the sky blossomed into different colours and shapes, gasping at the sound and wonderment expressed in the explosion of each firework. In this moment, the boys couldn’t imagine a more peaceful, perfect way to spend their evening together.

Too soon for the boys, the fireworks ended and the gathered citizens began to retreat from the park back to their lives. Chase and Riley stayed behind, with the younger boy sitting up to reach out and pull the New Zealander closer for a kiss. 

Chase couldn’t believe how quickly Riley was learning about him. Where once their kisses were sloppy and tentative, now Riley was assertive, knowing exactly what to do to get a response from Chase. Chase in turn had learned what Riley liked about physical touch, and both boys saw stars in their minds as their kiss dissolved the world into nothingness.

When they broke apart, Riley reached up to brush away a lock of dark hair from Chase’s face. He smiled shyly at Chase, wanting to make the moment last a little longer. Chase smiled back, looking content and at peace.

It was Chase who finally ended the silence.

“Come on Baby Raptor. Let’s go home.”

Riley didn’t say a word. Instead, he packed away the blanket and the remains of their sandwiches into the picnic basket and stood up. He reached out a hand to Chase and helped the older boy to his feet. With one last glance at the spot they shared their evening together, the boys walked hand in hand back to their shared apartment. Their home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love Kudos, makes me happy to know people read and like what I'm writing, but I'd love to get some feedback. Like everyone else I'm an aspiring writer, but I'm still pretty new to all this writing thing, and this is part of the learning process to get better as a writer.


	7. Waking up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So... it's smut. They live together. They're gay, they're dating. Worst of all, they're teenagers. What did we expect would happen, they'd be chaste forever?

Riley always looked so adorable when he slept. Tufts of dirty blond hair would get wavy overnight, and he usually had a smile on his face sleeping with his boyfriend, Chase. The way he curled up and perfectly fit in Chase’s arms made both of them happy, and they usually had smiles on their faces. Chase’s chestnut brown hair was always styled back, even while he slept. 

Normally Riley woke up hours before Chase would be getting up, but today was different. Chase woke up really early in order to surprise his lover with a special wake up call. Riley had been having strange dreams lately. At first they both figured it was just because of how often we were being called to fight Fury and Sledge’s apparently limitless supply of monsters, but no one else seemed to be having the dreams. Chase could see that it was bothering Riley and it was causing him difficulties with getting a good night’s rest, so Chase was hoping that he could snap Riley out of one of these dreams and into a much more pleasant waking world.

This was one of the days where Riley was having the dreams; he was fidgeting while he slept and was moving around in the bed, and that was never something he normally did. Chase was used to this by now and just held on tighter to his lover. Instead of just holding him tight, Chase began to plant little kisses along Riley’s neck and left side of his face, hoping that this new touch would help wake Riley up.

Riley moaned, but he didn’t seem like he had woken up. At the very least, the shaking stopped, and Chase breathed a sigh of relief for that. When Riley settled down, Chase planted more kisses on his boyfriend’s neck, sucking down very gently to leave the tiniest of bruises where he had been.

This time, Riley rolled over so he was on his back, facing up and still with his eyes shut. Chase took the chance to look down at Riley, to look at the smooth skin and cherish the fact that they were together. When Chase bent down to kiss Riley, he didn’t expect Riley to lift his arms and pull him in closer, deepening the kiss and taking turns plunging their tongues into each other’s mouths.

“More… More Chase.” Riley moaned when the pulled apart.

Chase straddled Riley’s chest and looked down at his boyfriend. “Good morning beautiful.” He said, smiling down at his younger companion.

Riley smiled back up at Chase and helped lift Chase’s shirt off, and then wriggled out of his own shirt. Both of them were shirtless and feeling each other up, with Chase lying on top of Riley and placing more kisses along Riley’s jawline, while Riley squeezed and massaged the taut muscles of Chase’s back.

Chase smirked down at Riley and started kissing down the bare skin of Riley’s chest, taking special care to kiss and suck on each of the boy’s nipples as he moved down his body. Riley groaned at the sensations and ran his slender hands through Chase’s chocolate curls, encouraging Chase to do more.

When Chase reached Riley’s green briefs he started pawing at the bulge inside and teasingly reaching a finger under the waistband, enjoying the look of pleasure on Riley’s face. Chase licked and sucked the growing length hidden inside the briefs, causing Riley to writhe and spasm on the bed while Chase tortured him with his skilled mouth and tongue.

“Do you like that mate?” Chase asked in his mischievous, accented voice.

“You’re driving me crazy babe, you have no idea what you’re doing to me do you.” Riley replied, desperate for his older boyfriend to do more.

Chase winked at Riley and pulled his briefs off. Now the only clothing left between them were the jet black boxers Chase was wearing, and which were tenting out with his hard cock. Chase grasped onto Riley’s hardening member and stroked it slowly, knowing it would drive Riley crazy. Riley was grabbing onto the bedsheets and trying to avoid cumming too soon; he knew that Chase was doing this on purpose and he didn’t want to end their fun too quickly.

Chase, however, was eager to finish the job he started. Without a second thought he replaced his hand and slid the hard length into his mouth, gripping it tightly with his mouth and tongue, and making sure to cover his teeth with his lips. Chase began bobbing his head along the length of the shaft, and every time he pulled off he swirled his tongue around the head.

Riley moaned and thrust his hips upwards, trying to shove more of his bulge down his lover’s mouth. Chase gagged at first, but got used to the rhythm and timed his own movements to match Riley’s increasingly frantic movements.

“I-I’m really close babe, I’m gonna cum any second now!” Riley cried out, not caring that the people in the apartment next to them were trying to sleep through their love-making. 

If Chase heard him, he didn’t respond. He just sucked harder and more enthusiastically, trying to put Riley over the edge.

Riley could feel the cum rising in his balls and surging through his cock. He held the back of Chase’s head tight and shot his load down Chase’s throat, causing the other boy to cough and gag. 

Chase could feel the cum shooting down his mouth and threatening to choke him. He swallowed as quickly as he could, but Riley was still cumming hard. After six spurts of cum, Riley finally started to come down from his orgasm and let go of Chase’s head.

Chase’s face was covered in cum where it dripped out of his mouth, and when he pulled off Riley’s sensitive cock he splashed a little extra cum on Riley’s smooth stomach. Chase smiled up at Riley and wiped away the cum on his face with his arm, and laid down next to Riley to cuddle.

“Next time, you wake me up” Chase said with a smile.


	8. Going home, part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chase and Riley prepare to head back to New Zealand with the rest of the team. Everyone's excited to potentially find a new Energem or Zord, maybe even a new Ranger... everyone except Chase.

Riley and Chase were back at their apartment, packing for their trip to New Zealand. Riley was eager to go, as he’d never travelled before or experienced life outside of Amber Beach, and this was a chance to expand and learn about different people and cultures for him. He was especially eager to see if life was really all that different in New Zealand, or if Chase was just an especially relaxed and flirtatious person.

Chase was much less relaxed about the whole thing. While he was really excited to be going back home, it wasn’t really home he’d be going back to. New Zealand wasn’t that big, but they were there to look for an Energem and stop Sledge, not to visit Mum and Chloe. The fact that monsters were being sighted so close to where his family lived scared him since there was no way to protect them if anything did go wrong.

Chase haphazardly threw clothing into his suitcase and tried to force it shut, only to have the suitcase bulge further and refuse to stay shut. ‘This was insane’ he thought. ‘I’m going back home, how many times are we going to go to New Zealand as Rangers?’

Chase was stopped in his pacing when Riley grabbed him by the arm and held him still. Chase turned around and looked at the concern etched into Riley’s face, and stopped struggling against his boyfriend’s grasp. 

“Chase, what’s wrong? Something’s bothering you, you’re even more out of sorts than you normally are, and I’ve never seen you become this messy. At the very least when you’re fixing your skateboard, everything stays at least somewhat close to the other pieces.”

I looked up at Riley and I could see he was really worried about me and that he wasn’t going to let this go until I explained what was going on, except that it wasn’t going to make any sense once I said it.

“I’m just a little stressed about going home, that’s all Riles.” I said, hoping he’d leave well enough alone.

Of course not.

“But I thought you were excited to be going back, you were talking about it all of yesterday when you showed up at the museum with the newspaper clipping, and you sounded really happy to be going back. What’s changed since then?” he asked.

I sighed and shook my head, trying to make the conversation come to an end so I can at least try to fix my suitcase. When Riley refused to stop hovering around me, I sat on the bed and watched my suitcase flip and deposit all my stuff on the bed.

“Nothing’s changed. I just hate that we’re going to New Zealand and I won’t have time or a chance to see my family. We’re there on Ranger business, and that means we’re out doing something that’s going to potentially get dangerous. It scares me to think that my mum and Chloe might be in danger again, and I still haven’t really gotten over the fact that Chloe almost go hurt the last time she got too close to us.”

“It scares me, knowing that Sledge has been sending monsters to New Zealand, and I’m all the way here in America with no way to protect them, and no real way to even warn them about what’s happening. They’re my family, and at least everyone else’s family is close to Amber Beach so it’s easier to protect them. It terrifies me to think that other people I know are going to get hurt.”

Riley grabbed onto the pile of clothing that had fallen out of my suitcase and put them aside on his bed, and then moved to sit next to me. When he did so, he reached out and clasped my hands with his and pulled me towards him.

“I know you’re worried, but that’s why we’re going down there. If we find whatever’s sending Sledge’s monsters to New Zealand, then we can bring it back here and there won’t be any reason for your family to be in danger anymore. You won’t have to tell them that you’re a Ranger or anything like that, and it will be safer for everyone.”

Riley was right of course, once we got the Energem or whatever it was that was down there then we’d go back to our new lives of facing a new enemy up here in Amber Beach every few days. Mum and Chloe would be safe, that was the important thing.

“Thanks babe, you always know just what to say. You’ve got it all figured out sometimes, you know that?”

I leaned forward to kiss Riley on the forehead, forcing a small smile onto my face and getting back to trying to pack things up. I was still worried about my family, but at least I had Riley and we were going to do everything we could to keep my old home safe. 

Now that I wasn’t as worried about my family, it was starting to sink in again that I was going home. The team was going to need me to be at my very best since I was the only one who knew where anything was in the country. They’d be relying on me to help make sense of things, since these Americans don’t always use the same words that I grew up with back at home. Hopefully we wouldn’t have too much trouble once we got there.

I glanced over at the envelope over at my desk. The plane ticket that Chloe gave me the last time I saw her, when she got attacked and Philip saved her. I still hadn’t opened the envelope, even though the tickets had been sitting there for a few weeks now. It was only a few weeks until Christmas, and I thought about using the ticket to come home and visit the family for the holidays, as my Christmas present to Chloe. 

I hadn’t thought about it, but I did miss being at home. It was just starting to warm up around now, and the summer would just be starting. It’d be a great time to go skateboarding and hitting the beach with all my old friends. Maybe tell some stories and do some of the drinking we used to think about doing when we were younger and more carefree than we are now. 

I didn’t even realize I had stopped packing until Riley poked me with his finger and pointed out that the music on my iPod had been playing and that I hadn’t started singing along with it. I was so lost in my little daydream of going home that Riley had managed to pack everything up for me and even got the suitcase closed, a satisfied look on his face at his success.

“Come on Hotshot, let’s go! We gotta meet everyone at the base before we head to the airport. Don’t want to be left behind on your grand trip back home do you?”

Riley grabbed his suitcase and started to head out the door of our bedroom and back through the apartment. I lingered a few extra moments, marvelling at home excited he was for me and realizing that I needed to snap out of this funk. I may not have been going home, but at least I was getting a chance to show off New Zealand to my friends. This was going to be a good trip, and if we found something to help end the threat Sledge put on the world, that was even better.

I smiled to myself, thinking that I might be able to head home and show Riley everything that was really important to me in New Zealand sooner than I thought. Grabbing my suitcase, I raced after him and caught up with him at the car. He was just packing his own suitcase into the trunk when I threw mine in and slid myself into the driver’s seat.

“Hurry up Baby Raptor! I got a lot to show you down under, and the sooner we get going the better!”

Riley looked up and smiled when he saw how much more relaxed I was, and the trip back to the museum was lighthearted. As the team piled into Tyler’s truck to head to the airport, I thought about how much better this was going to be to be going back with friends, and that Riley was so special in the ways he helped me think about the bright side of things.


	9. Going home, part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley reflects on what it means to go home, and how much he's changed since he became a Ranger.

This was real, he was going home. He was in the passenger seat of Tyler’s truck, which Chase had conveniently borrowed for the weekend so that they could sneak away and visit Riley’s family before Christmas. Watching all the familiar sights and sounds pass him by put a smile on his face, and Riley took the few minutes of quiet that Chase was giving him to think about the last few months, and the last time he had seen the family.

Intellectually, Riley knew it had only been a few months since he first found his Energem and had become the Green Ranger, but he was surprised at how quickly time had gone by, and also by how much he had changed. He wondered if his family would really believe that he’d changed this much in just the short time he’d been away from the ranch, and what they would think of him now that he had grown and become so different from the Riley they had grown up with.

He couldn’t wait to be heading back and to be bringing Chase with him. Chase, the boy who somehow figured him out before Riley could figure out Chase’s own intentions, and now the one he shared his life with and was slowly being changed by. Riley smiled at that, thinking that logically, they should never have been a match for each other, but here they were, and he supposed that meant that logic didn’t always have the answers.

That in itself was a shock to Riley. Not just that it was Chase of all people that he fell for, but that he found himself in love at all. 

Before he came to Amber Beach and the museum, he was a quiet kid. Smart, no one denied that, but not one with many friends. Hard to make friends when there’s no one around except your older brother and the ranch animals. He loved the ranch and all the memories he had growing up there, but he didn’t want that to be his life. He knew he could do anything and felt trapped by the family and their need for him to help maintain the ranch when he was old enough to co-own it with Matt.

Now he was a Power Ranger, and while his family didn’t know *that* part, getting a chance to see the wider world had definitely changed Riley. 

He had learned patience for the people around him, knowing that just because they didn’t do or see things the way he did didn’t mean they were wrong. Just that they were different, and there’s nothing wrong with being a bit different when you’re all working towards the same goal.

He learned that there was a whole world out there that didn’t exist in the black and white fantasies that he grew up with. He thought that Power Rangers were always Good, and the monsters were always Bad. Sometimes it was harder to see what was really motivating some of their foes, and that too was something he learned that he wouldn’t have otherwise learned if he stayed at the ranch.

He wasn’t done learning yet. He was still high strung, still caught up in trying to analyze things and figure out how to make things work better, more efficiently, more effectively. He still liked running and being by himself to train and perfect himself as much as possible, and he still had some things about other people that drove him crazy.

But he was learning. With a little help from Chase. 

Riley wouldn’t say that he loved to skateboard; he was always going to prefer running, but he could see why Chase loved to skate so much, and he had to admit it was fun, once you got used to being on a board and not falling over all the time. He wasn’t going to be as good as Chase on a board, but he didn’t have to be.

He was also learning to be more spontaneous, more willing to let things go with the flow and relax. Part of that was probably because things were always happening and changing thanks to Sledge’s monsters, but part of that was Chase being so relaxed and willing to let things happen. If he could stop worrying, Riley figured he could as well, and he found that it was okay when things weren’t totally controlled and planned to the last second.

More important than that, he was coming to appreciate that there was a benefit to relaxing and doing something just for the sake of having fun. Everything Riley used to do was all about training, being smarter, stronger and faster so that the other Rangers wouldn’t think of him as a burden. He knew better now, and while he refused to stop growing and improving, he was starting to learn that he could relax and just be around the others without it having to be a Rangers emergency, and without having to feel like they looked at him as their younger teammate.

Most of all, Riley was learning all about what it means to date someone. He never really thought about it as an option. First because there weren’t many people close to his age where he lived and none of them were that interesting, then later because he wasn’t sure what he really wanted. Of course, he didn’t have a lot of time for dating, and he figured that being a Ranger and working at the café would put a damper on the time he could spend with a significant other. It helped that Chase did all the same things and had the same commitments.

And they did spend time together, even if a lot of that time was spent fighting monsters and surviving life and death situations. Chase said it made their private time together all the more special and important, and Riley had to admit that there was nothing better than coming home and curling up on their bed with Chase, not thinking or worrying or doing anything other than enjoying each other’s company.

As they pulled up into the driveway Riley could see his family waiting for him, looking happy to see their youngest son again. For his part, Riley was happy to see them, and when both he and Chase got out of the truck they walked hand in hand up the driveway to go make the introductions and get settled in for the weekend.

It felt right, and Riley was happy to be home.


	10. Christmas Down Under

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick retelling of the Christmas special episode, except from Chase's point of view.

Christmas was in the air, and Chase was trying to get everything ready for his big surprise for all the Rangers, Kendall and Keeper. He knew that he wasn’t going to be able to spend Christmas in Amber Beach, but he wanted to be part of everyone’s holiday celebrations while he went home. He had been working on this little project to make sure he gave the best Christmas present ever for a few weeks now, and everything was finally ready so that he could give everyone their presents on Christmas Eve and still have time to fly home.

As he was writing the note for each of the Rangers to read and signing each of their envelopes, Chase smiled fondly at what he had created. Thank goodness that Tyler was always taking team selfies and posting them to Facebook; that made it really easy to find a photo that had everyone in the team. Of course Tyler didn’t know what he was getting from Chase, but he was sure that it would be a hit with everyone. Making this jigsaw puzzle was one of his better ideas; giving everyone one piece would help make sure that they all had to be together during Christmas as well, which was important considering how few of them had people to spend the holidays with otherwise.

It was nice to be going home, he’d been holding onto this plane ticket that Chloe had given him months ago. He had been waiting impatiently for the moment that he’d be able to go home and be with his family again, and it meant everything to him that he’d be able to spend Christmas with his mum and sister. Christmas was still Chase’s favourite time of the year, and while he loved being around the Rangers and especially with all the time he got to spend with Riley, he knew that home was where he wanted to be, if only so that he could have a few days to himself and not have any work to do. 

When Chase rolled up to the base he made sure to put most of the gifts into his locker, except for the piece of the puzzle that kept his face in it. For that part, he needed to find Keeper, who always seemed to know when he was needed by a Ranger. By the time Chase had stored the other presents, Keeper had appeared in the base.

“Your calm personality belies the fear and panic you feel right now, what is it that concerns you Chase?” Keeper asked, having appeared behind Chase inside the base.

“How do you keep doing that…?” Chase wondered. “Anyway, doesn’t matter right now. I’m supposed to be leaving to go home for the holidays, but I wanted to give the Rangers a present. Once I’m gone, can I ask you to give this envelope to everyone once they’re all together? It will complete the present I’ve made for everyone.”

“You have a good heart Chase; I sense how much of yourself you have put into this. Give me the gift, I will deliver it when the time is right.”

“Great! Thanks Keeper.”

When Chase caught up with everyone else, part of Chase wondered why no one else was giving out presents. He didn’t think that they had all grown up past wanting or needing to give out presents, so maybe it was something that’d be happening later in the day. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too much later, since he did have to leave in a couple of hours and wanted to spend a little bit of time celebrating with everyone.

Just then, their communicators went off and the Rangers were forced to go help save Santa from Poisandra and Wrench. Chase was panicked, he knew that this would take awhile, but he didn’t have much time before he had to go catch his flight. He also figured he couldn’t just show up to the airport still dressed in his Ranger uniform, that’d be something of a giveaway about who he is, and the Rangers agreed that they should be trying to keep their identities a secret. 

With every step he took and every movement he made, Chase could see Chloe’s face flashing into his mind. He was glad that nothing else had come close to hurting her; ever since Prince Philip had to save her from the Vivix it’d been on his mind that she could get hurt again. That was part of why he was hoping to get home for Christmas, he wanted to be there and keep her safe and know that everything was okay, even if that was just for a few days.

Once they finished rescuing Santa’s computer, the team raced back to the base so that they could celebrate Christmas, and Chase quickly went to see if there would be time to get to the airport in time or his flight. Sitting at his laptop, he checked the time and realized his flight had already left. Downcast, he returned to the base and let everyone know that he wasn’t going to be able to go home. That’s when Santa appeared and offered to let him take a ride to New Zealand to get home for Christmas.

Chase was excited; who wouldn’t want to take a sleigh ride with the real Santa Clause?! He went sprinting back to where his bags were, grabbed everything and started to run after Santa to make sure this wasn’t a joke. He was just about to leave when he remembered to get the presents for everyone! Chase ran back to the lockers in the back of the base where he had stashed all of the presents for the team. When he presented everyone with their envelopes, he left before anyone could ask him what they were supposed to do with them.

Keeper waited in the shadows, hearing the Rangers and Kendall putting together Chase’s gift. He smiled to himself as he handed over the final piece of the puzzle, thinking that in the millions of years he existed among humans, none had touched him and made him understand the species as much as this Ranger team.

Thousands of miles away and tens of thousands of feet above the ground, Chase was flying. Not in a plane, but in Santa’s sleigh, watching as Santa visited and left gifts for every last person on the Nice list in New Zealand. He got to watch as every house lit up with the spirit of Christmas, except for his own. He knew why without Santa ever saying so; he wasn’t home yet, so a Christmas wish hadn’t been granted. He arrived just as the sun was rising and as Chloe would be waking up to open presents.

The look on her face when the door opened with the sun shining behind him was exactly what he wanted from her for Christmas. She looked so wonderfully happy to see him that all of the stress from the last twenty-four hours completely disappeared. He’d miss Riley and everyone else, but being home was where he was supposed to be, and he knew that if he were still in Santa’s sleigh his house would be just as bright as all the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone so much for reading, for your thoughts and kudos, and for your comments. I appreciate that you've all stuck with this while I meander my way through and finish this piece. There's only going to be one chapter left after this, and as my Christmas present to everyone I'll be posting that on Christmas Eve.
> 
> Don't worry, I'm not going away, but I'll be looking at other fandoms, and I'll probably do some more Chiley writing later... maybe something a little more risque, but that's all the hints we get!


	11. The end of the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The series finale if I have my way. Totally not canon as far as I know. If this becomes the real thing then I shall be most astonished.

Everyone gathered in the base one last time at sunset. Keeper was there, standing with Miss Morgan at the entrance to the base, while the Rangers stood around the old holographic map and started at their two mentors. Both of them had aged significantly since their mission had begun years ago to collect and safeguard all of the Energems, and at long last, with the help of the Dino Charge Power Rangers, they had finally succeeded. 

Miss Morgan pressed the box with all ten of the Energems into Keepers hands. The Rangers knew they were watching a special moment as their two mentors savoured their triumph. Whatever words were being spoken between Miss Morgan and Keeper, the Rangers couldn’t tell. This was their moment, and while the Rangers had helped make it happen, they wouldn’t have even been there or have met each other if not for Keeper placing his trust in Miss Morgan that one day, years ago.

It was amazing for the Rangers to think that their adventure was coming to an end. Most of they were looking forward to getting their lives going again; they had spent almost a year in Amber Beach helping to find the Energems, and there were things that everyone put on hold in order to be Rangers and keep up the façade of being Dino Café workers. Each of them knew that they would never be the same from this, and were glad of the people that they had met during their chance to be the world’s protectors.

Riley and Chase stood close together, their hands intertwined as they watched the moment before them. Riley looked over to his left, where he saw Shelby and Tyler standing close together. He caught Shelby’s eye and gave her the smallest of nods, and he smiled to himself as she crept her hands up Tyler’s arm and grasped onto him, refusing to let go and lose out on the chance to stay with the person who made her happiest.

Looking over to his right, Riley wasn’t surprised to see that Chase was looking at him instead of watching the final presentation of the Energems back into Keeper’s possession. As usual, Chase had eyes only for Riley. The smaller blond was surprised at home much Chase had changed over the past year. He originally thought of Chase as a flake. A teammate, but not one to be trusted and certainly not one that he’d ever think about falling in love with. He was wrong about all of Chase; they’d been together almost the whole time they were fighting Sledge and Fury, and Chase had shown his dependability and willingness to change each step of the way. 

Riley knew that the school year would start up soon, and that meant that Chase would be going back to New Zealand; he was only meant to be here for one semester, but becoming a Ranger meant he put his education on hold in order to stay in Amber Beach after his exchange had come to an end. For the first time in a long time, Riley was afraid and didn’t have the answers; he was going to miss Chase and hated that the end of their Ranger careers would also mean the end of his relationship to Chase.

He hated how bittersweet this was. They had saved the world! Their mentor could go back to his own world, safe in the knowledge that humanity would continue to grow. Riley knew that was something to be proud of, something to celebrate, but he found himself hating it for what it would do to him personally. It was selfish and not at all like how he would normally think about the situation, but perhaps that was Chase’s influence on him. Riley appreciated himself more for his emotions and his ability to share his feelings with the people he was close with, something that he would never have learned so easily if he hadn’t ever met Chase.

The ceremony ended and everyone walked out of the museum to watch Keeper’s final departure. As his craft ascended, the humans gathered below could see him wave a final fond farewell. The Rangers stood and watched, until Keeper’s ship became too small a speck of light to see. Eventually, the Rangers began to disperse until only Chase and Riley remained, staring up at the night sky and thinking of what lay beyond in their lives.

Chase saw the tears forming in Riley’s eyes, and the taller boy stepped behind and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, holding him tight and inviting him to turn around so no one could see what was threatening to happen.

“What’s wrong love? We did it! There’s nothing left to stop us from doing what we want and being regular teenagers again. Aren’t you happy about that?” Chase asked, clearly worried about his friend and partner.

Riley pulled Chase in tighter and wrapped his own arms around the taller New Zealander.

“No, I’m not alright. It’s over, everything is over. The new school year’s going to begin so you’ll be leaving, everyone else is headed on to whatever awaits them and it’s just going to be me headed back to the ranch after this.” Riley cried.

Chase knew that Riley had been worried about this. Everyone knew that they would find all of the Energems eventually, but no one really ever stopped in the base to talk about what that would mean for the team. Everyone had gotten so close over the past year that it was too heartbreaking to consider what would happen when they finished and everyone would eventually have to start going back to their own lives. Well, except Chase. 

Chase hadn’t really thought about it for long, but he knew that the choice he made about his own future was the right one. Originally, Chase had really been excited to head back home to New Zealand and get back into his archaeology program in Auckland. It was a good program and would really help with his career, but he found that studying out in Amber Beach was more comfortable. Part of that was the Energem’s influence on him, pushing him towards dinosaur paleontology instead of historical architecture, but he had to admit that he found the work interesting as well.

He’d already been discussing with his old school about transferring to Amber Beach on a permanent basis, and now that he was faced with the decision, he felt more comfortable than ever that it was the right choice to stay where he was. He wasn’t usually one for staying put, but it was going to be what he did because he knew it would make himself and Riley happy.

Chase whispered into Riley’s ear.

“I’m not going anywhere Riles. I’m staying right here.”

Riley looked up, confusion emanating from his eyes.

“I decided to transfer to Amber Beach on a full-time basis.” Chase explained, winking at Riley. “Part of it’s probably the Energem, but I want to study dinosaurs a bit more, maybe get my whole degree in that sort of thing. Where else to do it than here, where I already know the museum workers and can get in for free?” 

“Even more important, I know you’re studying here because you don’t really have the money to go somewhere else; Amber Beach is local and close for you, so it makes sense and means you don’t have to pay to come home for the holidays.”

Riley nodded at that, not entirely knowing where this was going. Chase continued to elaborate and explain the new situation.

“So I was thinking…” Chase started. “I thought that maybe we should keep up this whole little arrangement that we have.”

Riley smiled a little at that. 

“What do you mean, Hotshot?”

“I mean us. Dating, living together, having fun and maybe even saving the world again. You said you didn’t want this adventure to be over, so let’s keep finding new adventures to go on together. I’m ready if you are Baby Raptor.”

Riley didn’t trust himself to speak. He was shocked. He knew he would always remember this moment when his fondest wish came true. He didn’t speak when Chase finished. He simply nodded his head, grabbed Chase by the hand and started on the walk back to their home from the museum.

Whatever else would happen, and whatever adventures life would take them on, Riley knew that Chase would be there to go through them together. Chase was ready to settle down, he knew that Riley was the one for him, and he wanted to share in the younger boy’s life as much as he could. Together, both of them were ready to make sure their adventures in dating never ended.


	12. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I promised an epilogue. Here it finally is.

Ten years later:

 

“Hey, where’d everyone go!? Why’s it so dark in here?” 

A young boy’s voice is heard, as he enters his home and sees no one is there and all the lights are off. It’s pitch black, and for a moment he thinks about leaving and going back to school or his friend’s place. The boy is short, with dirty blond hair and a penchant for the colour green.

Another boy stops beside him. Quieter, and with self-assured confidence. His black hair matches the black workout clothes he enjoys wearing so much. He’s carrying a skateboard with him.

“Relax Hunter, I’m sure everything’s fine. You know how they are. Let’s go grab some food, I’m starved!”

The first boy grabs the hand of the other. He’s more of a thinker, more worried about analyzing why things were out of place.

“But Caleb, they’re never gone like this, and it’s never ever dark like this. We should at least think about calling them or looking to see what’s wrong.”

“Sure little bro. Right after we get some food.” Hunter replied, obviously nowhere near concerned about the circumstances around him.

Both boys cautiously walked from the doorway towards their family’s kitchen. When both were about to cross the threshold, all the lights came on and an explosion of noise surrounded the boys.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALEB AND HUNTER!”

The boys were in shock. Their two fathers, Riley and Chase, stepped out from the top of the stairs to their bedrooms, smiling at the surprise birthday celebration they were able to arrange for their twin sons. Surrounding both smiling fathers were their old Ranger team, and in the kitchen other family members were crowding around, eager to see the twins and help celebrate their ninth birthday.

The boys rushed up to hug their fathers and the rest of the family and friends that had shown up.

“Boys!” Chase called out to the twins. “Head out into the back yard and get the pool ready, your friends from school are going to be here shortly for the rest of your birthday party.”

The two boys ran out of the house and out to the yard, with the Rangers and family following close behind.

As the party continued on, the boys were entertained by their friends and the family members who had come to visit, giving Chase and Riley a rare opportunity to be alone with their past teammates.

“Hard to believe that ten years ago, we were all a bunch of teenagers. Look at what we’ve been through since then.” Tyler said, arms wrapped around Shelby and her growing bulge.

“Yeah, who would have thought that starting our families would be even more challenging than fighting off Sledge and Heckyl. At least then we knew exactly what we were supposed to do, even if we weren’t sure how to do it yet.” Shelby added, eyes twinkling with nostalgia. 

Koda eyed the food hungrily. Some things hadn’t changed, though his command of the English language had. “So… food now?” He asked, knowing the answer already but determined to ask anyways.

Everyone laughed, it was good to be back together. Even Ivan had to laugh at how some things simply did not change, even if they had all become vastly different people than they were before.

Shelby and Tyler had ended up traveling across America, looking for Tyler’s father after their time as Rangers came to an end. Their adventures continued on, though they were never so far away that they couldn’t be reached. It came as absolutely no surprise when Tyler asked Shelby to marry him.

Miss Morgan continued on at the museum. Her list of research growing and her notoriety increasing with every paper she created. She was happy, knowing she couldn’t have done it without the first-hand accounts of both Koda and Ivan, who regularly helped clarify and explain things that science weren’t able to determine. 

Koda and Ivan, of course, stayed in Amber Beach. While Ivan had been offered an opportunity to return home to Zandar, he knew the Zandar he had lived in was long gone. In truth, he thought of Amber Beach as his new home, and was happier to stay there where he found belonging after hundreds of years of being trapped within Fury.

Koda had nowhere to go and nowhere else to turn, but his knowledge of the ancient past he lived through convinced the museum directors to hire him as a research assistant to Miss Morgan. He was happy to stay with the friend who had helped him first learn to live in the modern era.

 

Riley and Chase moved to the outskirts of Amber Beach. They found time to travel and visit their families in New Zealand and Riley’s family ranch, and both become experts in their field. Chase ended up completing his degree and going on excavations for dinosaur fossils, and Riley became a highly sought after consultant. His quick mind and sharp analysis of problems made him sought after in the field.

Riley intertwined his fingers through Chase’s hand and thought back to all their adventures as Rangers, and later as lovers. When he first chased Rubik down and found the Green Energem, he had no idea how much his life would change. Even when he first morphed into a Power Ranger and took his turn saving humanity from certain destruction, he didn’t really contemplate how much things would change. He knew Ranger teams came and went, but what happened after wasn’t something the television cameras and media coverage noticed.

As he looked into the back yard of his home and his two children, he realized that his was the adventure he was supposed to have, and for once he didn’t analyze things, he just accepted that they were the way they were.

 

Forty years later:

 

Riley and Chase are sitting down in their living room. Their two boys have long since left to start families of their own, and the two men are happily retired, having more than enough to sustain them through their golden years.

Their connection to the rest of the Rangers wasn’t what it once was. Time, jobs and real life had separated them, and even with a new Rangers organization dedicated to maintaining links between the historical Rangers and their teams, there were some things that happened and couldn’t help bridge past divides.

The one thing that hadn’t changed was the love that Riley and Chase felt for each other. Riley looked at his husband, who was staring back at him with a funny expression on his face.

“Chase, what’s on your mind?” Riley asked.

Chase looked back, and for once the trademark confident smirk was replaced by something that almost looked like concern.

“Riley… Baby Raptor. Was the adventure worth it?”

Riley smiled, remembering those first words that led to them becoming nearly inseparable. That first step all those years ago inside the underground base of the Amber Beach museum.

“Yes Hotshot. Yes it was.”

The two smiled at each other, and slowly climbed the stairs to return to their room. They didn’t travel or do anything exciting, but their adventures together weren’t ever going to be over.


End file.
